1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to providing handle grips on golf clubs and, more specifically, to a method and apparatus for ensuring a consistent alignment of golf clubs in a given set of iron-style clubs to ensure handle grips are installed with a similar orientation throughout the set of clubs.
2. Description of the Related Art
A well-known procedure for installing handle grips onto golf clubs includes first applying a double sided adhesive tape (known in the art as grip tape) to the handle (butt) end of a golf club shaft, second, covering the taped portion of the club shaft with an activating solvent, which not only activates the bonding of the handle grip to the tape, but also provides lubrication to facilitate the final step, which is installing the handle grip onto the taped portion of the shaft.
If handle grips were perfectly cylindrical and uniform, there would be no need to achieve a particular alignment of a golf club prior to installing a grip. However, modern handle grips for golf clubs typically have complex shapes, for example, they frequently include an interior axial "reminder" ridge that when the grip is installed on a cylindrical club shaft, results in a tear drop, ovalate shape to the grip that provides a golfer with a comfortable fit when holding the club. Golf club grips may also feature a logo or insignia identifying the manufacturer or model of the golf club, or have a repeating design. Additionally, they may include raised or grooved patterns, dimples, or other relief to provide tactile feedback in order to assist and assure the golfer's consistent and proper gripping of the club. Such complex designs for handle grips create a need for reliable, uniform means of alignment of the golf club just prior to and during installation of the grip so as to ensure consistent alignment of the grips relative to all the irons in a given set. This consistent alignment is important in order to achieve the club head's strike face's proper alignment to the target, and to avoid distractions to a golfer that might otherwise occur if different irons in a particular set of clubs had even slightly varying grip orientations relative to their corresponding club shafts.
One technique for aligning golf clubs to prepare for installing handle grips has been to simply clamp the shaft of the club using a vise-like device, as shown in Karns, U.S. Pat. No. 2,604,661. Because handle grips are typically installed at a late stage of manufacture of a golf club, usually after the permanent mounting of a club head to the club's shaft, a better technique for obtaining consistent alignment is to utilize the club head as a reference while positioning the overall club for installation of a handle grip. Hsu, U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,428, and Gore, U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,304, show handle grip mounting stations that use a head seat to align a club for grip installation.
There are several drawbacks associated with the alignment system disclosed in the prior art. For example, the design of the head seat in Gore (U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,304) is dependent on the shape of the particular club head to be seated therein, thus every different club head design requires a different head seat. Also, that alignment system does not compensate for varying shaft lengths. Another drawback is that because the shaft is not securely clamped, only a limited amount of force can be applied when installing a handle grip before the club will prematurely dislodge from the alignment system. Further, while the Hsu (U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,428) alignment system does have a shaft clamping means, it again has a seat design that is dependent on club head shape. Such head seats make multiple, unnecessary contact points with an iron club head, which can lead to undesired nicks, scratches, or gouges in the club head. If protective plastic is used over the club head prior to alignment, i.e. to avoid damaging the club head, the accuracy of the alignment with such prior head seats can be adversely effected, especially if the plastic is gathered.
Known alignment systems also suffer in that they require regular adjustment if they are to compensate for clubs of different lofts, different shaft lengths, and different offsets. Previously, the only means for adjustment has been to mount the head seat on horizontal and vertical sliding tracks. Thus, an operator has to adjust the head seat each time a club of different loft, length, or offset is to be gripped. This adversely effects production time. The only way to reduce production time with such a device is to provide grips on large quantities of a single loft of clubs, such as 3-irons, then reset the head seat for the next lofted clubs, i.e. 4-irons, and continue making adjustments in this fashion until all the different irons to be produced are gripped. Although this production system may reduce time spent adjusting the head seat, it creates a drain on valuable manufacturing floor space due to a need to stock large quantities of the respective club lofts, as opposed to cellular manufacturing procedures for assembling and completing sets of clubs as soon as each successive club for a given set of irons has been provided with a grip.